Lutherans from around the globe will soon convene in Kraków
In less than a month, the Thirteenth Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation will take place in our city. The gathering, scheduled for 13-19 September 2023, will be hosted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Poland. The organising committee is supported by the Evangelical Parish of Kraków.
The General Assembly is the highest decision-making body of the Lutheran World Federation. General Assemblies are held infrequently - only once every six years - which adds to the uniqueness of the Kraków edition. It is also worth noting that this will be only the second General Assembly of the LWF in Central and Eastern Europe, the first being held in 1984 in Budapest.
Some 350 delegates from 150 member churches of the LWF from all over the world will attend. Ecumenical guests and observers will also be present. The keynote paper will be given by a Roman Catholic theologian from the Czech Republic, Tomáš Halík. The assembly will be proceeded by a Council meeting and preparatory gatherings for women, men and youth. The LWF scrupulously adheres to the quota requirement, which ensures that each region is represented by at least 40% women, 40% men and 20% youth. A balance between lay and ordained delegates is also maintained.
The leading theme of the September Assembly "One Body, One Spirit, One Hope" refers to a passage from the letter to the Ephesians. Reflection on the theme will permeate the three dimensions of the meeting, which are: celebrating the Lutheran community, mutual enrichment and joint decision-making within formal LWF activities.
The formal nature of the Assembly means that many events will be closed to external participants. However, the accompanying programme prepared by the Kraków parish, located on ulica Grodzka, is fully accessible to those interested. The open programme commences three days before the Assembly officially opens, i.e. on 10 September. In the following days, concerts and public debates will be held, featuring, among others, the founder of one of Poland’s leading media outlets Gazeta Wyborcza Adam Michnik, the former Ombudsman Adam Bodnar, as well as the imam of Kraków Adam Abdel Fattah, the President of the Jewish Community in Kraków Tadeusz Jakubowicz and many other inspiring guests.
Detailed information about the programme prepared by the Kraków parish can be found here: https://www.luteranie.pl/program-parafii-w-krakowie/
Information about the ŚFL General Assembly, its message and objectives is available at: https://2023.lwfassembly.org/
